States

Federal Register, Volume 76, Number 167, August 29, 2011, Pages 53631-53810 (open access)

Federal Register, Volume 76, Number 167, August 29, 2011, Pages 53631-53810

Daily publication of the U.S. Office of the Federal Register contains rules and regulations, proposed legislation and rule changes, and other notices, including "Presidential proclamations and Executive Orders, Federal agency documents having general applicability and legal effect, documents required to be published by act of Congress, and other Federal agency documents of public interest" (p. ii). Table of Contents starts on page iii.
Date: August 29, 2011
Creator: United States. Office of the Federal Register.
Object Type: Journal/Magazine/Newsletter
System: The UNT Digital Library
China-U.S. Trade Issues (open access)

China-U.S. Trade Issues

This report discusses the U.S.-China economic relationship and China's rapid expansion as a global economic market, both with respect to the current global economic crisis. It also examines major U.S.-China trade issues and related legislation.
Date: August 29, 2011
Creator: Morrison, Wayne M.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Political Ads: Issue Advocacy or Campaign Activity Under the Tax Code? (open access)

Political Ads: Issue Advocacy or Campaign Activity Under the Tax Code?

Some tax-exempt organizations are legally allowed to engage in political campaign activity, and some are not. This report discusses which organization are/are not allowed to do so, and how they determine whether something is campaign activity.
Date: August 29, 2012
Creator: Lunder, Erika K.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Vulnerable Youth: Background and Policies (open access)

Vulnerable Youth: Background and Policies

This report first provides an overview of the youth population and the increasing complexity of transitioning to adulthood for all adolescents. It also provides a separate discussion of the concept of "disconnectedness," as well as the protective factors youth can develop during childhood and adolescence that can mitigate poor outcomes. Further, the report describes the evolution of federal youth policy and provides a brief overview of current federal programs targeted at vulnerable youth. The report then discusses the challenges of coordinating federal programs for youth, as well as federal legislation and initiatives that promote coordination among federal agencies and support programs with a positive youth development focus.
Date: August 29, 2012
Creator: Fernandes-Alcantara, Adrienne L.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
National Mortgage Servicing Standards: Legislation in the 112th Congress (open access)

National Mortgage Servicing Standards: Legislation in the 112th Congress

This report analyzes the potential misaligned incentives in the servicer-mortgage holder relationship and the servicing standards that attempt to address each concern, the servicer-borrower relationship and the relevant servicing provisions, as well as the possible implications of reforming the servicing industry.
Date: August 29, 2012
Creator: Hoskins, Sean M.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
The National Nanotechnology Initiative: Overview, Reauthorization, and Appropriations Issues (open access)

The National Nanotechnology Initiative: Overview, Reauthorization, and Appropriations Issues

This report provides an overview of nanotechnology, the National Nanotechnology Initiative, possible reauthorization of the 21st Century Nanotechnology Research and Development Act of 2003 (P.L. 108-153), and appropriations issues.
Date: August 29, 2013
Creator: Sargent, John F., Jr.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Agricultural Disaster Assistance (open access)

Agricultural Disaster Assistance

This report has four sections. The first describes recent developments in weather and policy. The second provides an overview of the current USDA disaster assistance programs: federal crop insurance, NAP payments, and emergency disaster loans. The third section discusses the now expired disaster programs under the 2008 farm bill, specifically Supplemental Revenue, Assistance Payments Program (SURE), and four other smaller disaster programs. The fourth section briefly reviews the potential reauthorization of disaster programs proposed in both House and Senate versions of the 2013 farm bill. An appendix reviews the recent history of emergency supplemental farm disaster assistance and USDA administrative actions.
Date: August 29, 2013
Creator: Shields, Dennis A.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
A Brief Overview of Actions Taken by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) in Its First Year (open access)

A Brief Overview of Actions Taken by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) in Its First Year

Report that looks at actions taken by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) during its first year. The CFPB exists to implement and enforce federal consumer financial laws, ensure consumer access to financial products and services, and ensure that the markets for consumer financial services and products are fair, transparent, and competitive.
Date: August 29, 2012
Creator: Hoskins, Sean M.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Proposed U.S.-Mexico Transboundary Hydrocarbons Agreement: Background and Issues for Congress (open access)

Proposed U.S.-Mexico Transboundary Hydrocarbons Agreement: Background and Issues for Congress

This report discusses the offshore areas of the Gulf of Mexico that provide a setting for domestic and international energy production, U.S. military training and border operations, trade and commerce, fishing, tourist attractions, and recreation.
Date: August 29, 2013
Creator: Hagerty, Curry L. & Uzel, James C.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Spectrum Policy in the Age of Broadband: Issues for Congress (open access)

Spectrum Policy in the Age of Broadband: Issues for Congress

Report that discusses some of the commercial and federal radio frequency spectrum policy changes required by the Middle Class Tax Relief and Job Creation Act of 2012. It also summarizes new policy directions for spectrum management under consideration in the 112th Congress, such as the encouragement of new technologies that use spectrum more efficiently.
Date: August 29, 2012
Creator: Moore, Linda K.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Unfunded Mandates Reform Act: History, Impact, and Issues (open access)

Unfunded Mandates Reform Act: History, Impact, and Issues

This report examines debates regarding what constitutes an "unfunded federal mandate" and the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act of 1995's (UMRA) implementation. It focuses on UMRA's requirement that the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) issue written cost estimate statements for federal mandates in legislation, its procedures for raising points of order in the House and Senate concerning unfunded federal mandates in legislation, and its requirement that federal agencies prepare written cost estimate statements for federal mandates in rules. It also assesses UMRA's impact on federal mandates and arguments concerning UMRA's future, focusing on UMRA's definitions, exclusions, and exceptions which currently exempt many federal actions with potentially significant financial impacts on nonfederal entities.
Date: August 29, 2013
Creator: Dilger, Robert Jay & Beth, Richard S.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation Requests for Legislative Appropriations: Fiscal Years 2014 and 2015 (open access)

Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation Requests for Legislative Appropriations: Fiscal Years 2014 and 2015

Report submitted by the Texas Commission of Licensing and Regulation containing background information on the commission, and summaries of requests for appropriations and expenditures for the fiscal years 2014 and 2015 with supporting documentation.
Date: August 29, 2012
Creator: Texas Commission of Licensing and Regulation
Object Type: Book
System: The Portal to Texas History
Veterans Health Care: Monitoring Is Needed to Determine the Accuracy of Veteran Copayment Charges (open access)

Veterans Health Care: Monitoring Is Needed to Determine the Accuracy of Veteran Copayment Charges

A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "In fiscal year 2010, the Department of Veterans Affairs' (VA) Veterans Health Administration (VHA) billed veterans millions of medical copayment charges totaling more than $1 billon. Witnesses at a 2009 Subcommittee on Health, House Committee on Veterans' Affairs, hearing raised concerns about inappropriate copayment charges, including some associated with veterans' service-connected conditions. As a result, members of the Subcommittee asked GAO to review (1) VHA copayment charge accuracy, including error rates and related causes, and (2) VHA efforts to monitor copayment charge accuracy. To assess the accuracy of VHA's billed copayment charges, GAO evaluated samples of fiscal year 2010 billed and unbilled medical services to determine copayment error rates and related causes. GAO also reviewed VHA practices related to monitoring the accuracy of copayment charges.."
Date: August 29, 2011
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Farm Programs: Additional Steps Needed to Help Prevent Payments to Participants Whose Incomes Exceed Limits (open access)

Farm Programs: Additional Steps Needed to Help Prevent Payments to Participants Whose Incomes Exceed Limits

A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "As part of verifying if farm and conservation program participants had incomes below statutory limits--making them eligible to receive certain 2009 and 2010 program payments--reviews of tax returns by the U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Farm Service Agency's (FSA) state offices varied in quality. GAO's review of 115 tax return files from selected state offices found that some files met agency guidance and had no apparent errors. Other files did not meet agency guidance or contained errors, resulting in some potentially improper payments to participants whose incomes exceeded the limits. For example, GAO found errors in 19 of the 22 tax return files it reviewed from FSA offices in two states; one of these errors led to a potentially improper payment of $40,000. FSA headquarters does not monitor state offices' reviews of tax returns to ensure that the offices are applying program guidance consistently and making accurate eligibility determinations, even though federal standards for internal control direct agencies to monitor and assess the quality of performance over time. Also, 2008 Farm Bill provisions requiring a distinction between farm and nonfarm income make it difficult for agency …
Date: August 29, 2013
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
U.S. Department of Agriculture: Progress toward Implementing GAO's Civil Rights Recommendations (open access)

U.S. Department of Agriculture: Progress toward Implementing GAO's Civil Rights Recommendations

Correspondence issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "In summary, as of August 2012, USDA had fully addressed three of our recommendations, made significant progress toward addressing two, and made some progress toward addressing one."
Date: August 29, 2012
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Object Type: Text
System: The UNT Digital Library
Texas Register, Volume 39, Number 35, Pages 6761-6942, August 29, 2014 (open access)

Texas Register, Volume 39, Number 35, Pages 6761-6942, August 29, 2014

A weekly publication, the Texas Register serves as the journal of state agency rulemaking for Texas. Information published in the Texas Register includes proposed, adopted, withdrawn and emergency rule actions, notices of state agency review of agency rules, governor's appointments, attorney general opinions, and miscellaneous documents such as requests for proposals. After adoption, these rulemaking actions are codified into the Texas Administrative Code.
Date: August 29, 2014
Creator: Texas. Secretary of State.
Object Type: Journal/Magazine/Newsletter
System: The Portal to Texas History
Special Immigrant Juveniles: In Brief (open access)

Special Immigrant Juveniles: In Brief

This report provides a brief explanation of the statutory basis of special immigrant juvenile (SIJ) status and how it has evolved. It also presents statistics on the number of children who have applied for and received SIJ status since FY2005. The report concludes with a discussion of the applicability of SIJ status for unaccompanied alien children.
Date: August 29, 2014
Creator: Wasem, Ruth Ellen
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Federal Agency Actions Following the Supreme Court's Climate Change Decision in Massachusetts v. EPA: A Chronology (open access)

Federal Agency Actions Following the Supreme Court's Climate Change Decision in Massachusetts v. EPA: A Chronology

This report presents a chronology of major federal agency actions related to environmental concerns following the decision of Massachusetts v. EPA; it particularly looks at actions of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). In Massachusetts v. EPA, the Supreme Court held that greenhouse gases (GHGs), widely viewed as contributing to climate change, constitute "air pollutants" as that phrase is used in the Clean Air Act (CAA).
Date: August 29, 2013
Creator: Meltz, Robert
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Latin America and the Caribbean: Key Issues for the 113th Congress (open access)

Latin America and the Caribbean: Key Issues for the 113th Congress

This report provides an overview of U.S. policy toward Latin America and the Caribbean, including the Obama Administration's priorities; examines changes in the region's economic and political environment that affect U.S. relations with the region; and analyzes U.S. policy toward the region and various recommendations made by policy analysts and think tanks.
Date: August 29, 2014
Creator: Sullivan, Mark P.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Form REG Instruction Guide: Lobby Registration (open access)

Form REG Instruction Guide: Lobby Registration

Instructional guide to Texas Ethics Commission form REG for lobby registration.
Date: August 29, 2013
Creator: Texas Ethics Commission
Object Type: Review
System: The Portal to Texas History
Form AREG Instruction Guide: Lobby Registration Amendment (open access)

Form AREG Instruction Guide: Lobby Registration Amendment

Instructional guide to Texas Ethics Commission from AREG, for Lobby Registration Amendments.
Date: August 29, 2013
Creator: Texas Ethics Commission
Object Type: Pamphlet
System: The Portal to Texas History
Condition of Texas Pavements: Pavement Management Information Systems Annual Report, 2009-2012 (open access)

Condition of Texas Pavements: Pavement Management Information Systems Annual Report, 2009-2012

Annual report describing the condition of Texas pavements based on distress ratings and ride quality measurements from the Pavement Management Information System (PMIS) during fiscal years 2009-2012. "This report describes the condition of Texas pavements in Fiscal Year 2012 and during the four-year FY 2009-2012 period, based on analysis of Pavement Management Information System (PMIS) distress ratings and ride quality measurements. The report includes the percentage of lane miles in 'Good' or better condition, trends for the major highway systems (IH, US, SH, and FM) and pavement types (ACP, CRCP, and JCP), trends for pavement distress types and maintenance level of service information" (p. ii).
Date: August 29, 2012
Creator: Texas. Department of Transportation.
Object Type: Report
System: The Portal to Texas History
Lobbying in Texas: A Guide to the Texas Law (open access)

Lobbying in Texas: A Guide to the Texas Law

Guide to lobbying laws in Texas including definition, registration, activity reports, and restrictions.
Date: August 29, 2013
Creator: Texas Ethics Commission
Object Type: Pamphlet
System: The Portal to Texas History
Illegal Internet Streaming of Copyrighted Content: Legislation in the 112th Congress (open access)

Illegal Internet Streaming of Copyrighted Content: Legislation in the 112th Congress

This report describes streaming technology, explains the disparity in criminal penalties for different forms of infringement committed by electronic means.
Date: August 29, 2011
Creator: Yeh, Brian T.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library